Hard Farewells with the Annual Exodus

The last month was the season I was dreading for months...transfer season.  The whole compound takes a new personality and life as 90% or more of the embassy population changes with people coming and going.

I really do believe it's all about the people you are with in this career.  Moving from place to place, having that foreign service family makes all the difference.  Afghanistan is tough in that you are with people for so short a period of time; however, those times are packed with memories as everyone is in this fishbowl together.

Workplace dynamics are also shifting greatly.  Completely new faces all learning the culture of the compound and the challenges of the work.  Hopefully handovers were all done well, or the best they can be, to keep the pace and momentum for all the things we've labored to date.  As I observe the newcomers to see whom I can reliably work with to get work done and who might be a part of the new social network for the next year, I reflect that perhaps this is similar to what the local staff feel in all posts as the American staff turnover.

I'm going to miss the departing group.  Some go way back to my entry DLI class.  Some were friends and colleagues from Jakarta.  Some I met here.  They were all really great people and I'm glad they were part of my life here.

Looking forward to the new arrivals.  It's a new year and a new life for me here in Kabul.

Plenty more time to buy these!